The Clone Chronicles: Band on the Run
by Futuramakid
Summary: In the shadow of the Phantom Planet, one girl travels the country- Danielle Fenton. Homeless, and unknown, this is her story- one peppered with new and familiar faces. This is- the Clone Chronicles.
1. Chapter 1

The Clone Chronicles: Band on the Run

_Well, the night was falling as the desert world_

_Began to settle down_

_In the town they're searching for us everywhere_

_But we never will be found..._

Albuquerque, New Mexico.

The heat hung in the air- the black-haired girl paused, leaning on the building as she dropped from ghost-form. The town seemed fairly empty tonight- There were flyers everywhere. A concert in the Isleta- Ember something-or-other. She'd found the hotels nearby to be a good place to filch food- she felt bad about it, sure, but people tended to be pretty careless around hotels. If she hung around behind a group for a bit, the staff would usually assume she was with them. And that way, she could eat pretty easy, at least continentals. And with so many out tonight for the concert- that would make it easy for her to crash in a room, for a bit. A nice, quiet evening- a rarity for her. She was broken from her thoughts when from the direction of the amphitheater was a loud starting chord. It was electric. One of the upshoots of being near an amphitheater- you could enjoy the music from the outside. But this time, she decided to take a closer look. It was inviting stuff, rock and roll- youth, rebellion. All the reasons she lived the way she did. But she'd never heard anything quite like this. There was a softness in it, yet... it wasn't soft-rock. It had edges- but they were smooth edges. Shelter could wait for the moment. She took to the air, heading to the source- She'd never pulled something like this before. She phased into the the building, becoming tangible and visible in the middle of a row. She would have dropped to human mode first, but in this crowd? Half the crowd had dyes of some kind and clothes were weird all over. She looked positively... _normal._ Well, except for the fact she'd simply popped into visibility there- something none of the people around her seemed to notice. They were too captivated by the performance- a rocker, early-20's from her looks, was performing. Blue skin with green eyes- and amazing pyrotechnics made it seem her hair was on fire. It was _amazing _what people could do when they tried. The excitement was palpable, and contagious in the atmosphere. She found herself cheering along with the crowd, and the first set seemed to go by in no time- at which point she felt a tap on the shoulder. She turned, only to notice a very large man.

"I'll have to ask you for your proof of admission."

"What?"

"Your ticket stub, young lady."

She stumbled, attempting to form a plausible excuse.

"...Well. Just like I thought. Come on. You've had your fun, little girl. If you come easy, I'll just drop you off at the backstage exit."

His hand on her shoulder was firm. She sighed. At least it wasn't a big deal. No charges. She let him think he was making her go, following him back... And that was where things got _weird_. She looked, and... the hair was still on fire. Or, now she was closer- the hair_ was_ a fire. And that... that had to be normal skin. Her ghost-sense went off again, as she stared. The performer, who was taking a large gulp from a thermos, took notice of her gaze, and the man. The performer raised a brow, before approaching.

"Hey, Bruno. What'd the little girl here do to get herself kicked, huh?"

"Got a gate-jumper, Ms. McLain. Just appeared in the middle of a row... No idea how she got past. I was just showing her the way out- it would've taken half-an-hour to get her to the real exits through the intermission crowds."  
The woman raised a brow when she got closer, seeming to notice something about Dani, "It's alright. No need to boot the little baby-pop out... Let me talk to her."

The man nodded, and made tracks from the backstage.

"So," Ember said, "What brings you sneaking into my concert?"

Dani gulped, "Ah, well... I... I heard the music from outside... It sounded so good, and I'd never been to a concert before, so I... I snuck in."

Ember chuckled. "I did the same thing, once. Granted, back then that was because it was Jett... Tell me, kid. You a member of Mr. 'Saved the World''s fan club or something?"

She pointed to the emblem on her shirt.

Dani raised a brow. "Truth for truth- are you a ghost, Ms. McLain?"

Ember laughed, "What gave you the first clue, the flaming hair?"

Dani chuckled... She wasn't sure the motives, but figured she'd given her word. "Not exactly. We're cousins."

"...Cousins, huh? And does he know you're here?"

Dani laughed, "What, you know him? Besides, you're just a musician. What could you possibly be hiding? Backwards lyrics?"

_Now this, this could be a lot of **fun**_, Ember thought.

"Kind of. You could say we're acquaintances. Is he around?"

"I wouldn't know. He lives a long way off, and I... well... my father is very... hands-off, you might say."

Her manner betrayed her a bit there, the squirms.

"...You talk like he's the only one who'd worry... Single parent?" Ember guessed.

Dani fidgeted again, trying to find the right words...

"...None?" Ember asked, her face turning a bit more intrigued.

Now Dani was a bit to eager, "No, no, I just-"

The older woman put a hand on her shoulder... "It's alright, girl. You're not in trouble, in fact... Why don't you stay back here? I think I'd like to hang with you after the second set."

Dani nodded... "Sounds good."

The woman gave her a thumbs up as she headed back from the wings onto the stage... and the music started again, and Dani began feeling rather more starstruck by the woman... She was so _nice_ to her, and so pretty... And the energy of the music was absolutely infectious. She found herself wishing the music could last forever... Again it seemed to end far too soon. Ember high-fived her as she left the stage.

"Was that an awesome concert or what?" Ember smirked at Dani.

Dani grinned back, "Definitely, Ms. McLain."

"...Ms. McLain was my mom. Call me Ember, babypop."

Put a hand on Dani's shoulder... "If you don't mind, I've just a couple more questions, for in private."

Dani nodded, "Of course, Ember." Something in the back of her head felt like something was off, but she shrugged it off, following the rocker's lead to a star dressing room. She closed the door behind them, sitting down at a vanity...

"...So. You and Danny Phantom- I want to know everything."

Of course, everything. Danielle knew she should hold back, but she couldn't- something about this woman was compelling her.

"I'm his clone," she began.

"Clone?" Ember interrupted. That didn't make sense... "Shouldn't clones be... y'know... identical?"

Dani fidgeted a moment, uncomfortable. "Yes."

"But... you're not," Ember asked, "Why?"

"...My DNA wasn't complete. My father hates me for it..."

Ember paused... That was something she had experience with, in her life. Abuse was such a personal thing... poor girl. She sighed. She couldn't _use_ the girl now... but what would she do then? Just kick the girl on her way? That'd be heartless as the man she once loved.

"...I understand if you don't want to talk about it," she said, gently, as she stood, "You can come with me, if you don't have anywhere to go... There's room for another where I'm staying."

_This is what you get for being a soft rocker, Ember,_ she thought to herself.  
"You mean it?" the girl's eyes lit up, and she hugged her... "Thankyouthankyouthankyou!"

Ember laughed, "Easy, kiddo. I need those lungs to sing."


	2. Chapter 2

The Clone Chronicles: Band on the Run

_But finally I arrived at the world famous Albuquerque Holiday Inn_

_Where the towels are oh so fluffy_

_And you can eat your soup right out of the ashtrays if you wanna_

_It's OK, they're clean_

"Wow... I could get used to this, Ember," Dani said, looking around the suite that Ember'd booked. Not much at all- but Dani wasn't exactly used to much at all. She lounged on the bed... Ember shook her head as she put down her guitar... _What am I going to do with this girl...?_ Dani tilted her head, noticing... "Something wrong?"

Ember sat in the office chair of the suite, kicking her feet up on the desk across the bed.

"Nah. Not really. Just thinking of how your... donor would react to this."

"Donor?"

"Danny. Last time I got in close, well." She shook her head. "He got ticked for some reason. Broke up my pre-show. I tried to get him off my back. Gave him a nudge at his little sweetheart. Thick man, took a heck of a nudge. That kept the two occupied, but then he shows up all indignant, beats me up, using nearly all my power and dumps me in the middle of a frozen waste I'd never seen with a mental deficient. Honestly, I think there's gotta be something wrong in that kid's head, hero or no."

Dani shook her head... "That doesn't sound like Danny to me."

Ember shrugged, "I dunno. Maybe it's different to you. You're not all-ghost, are you?"

Dani shook her head, dropping down to human mode. "Nope."

"That might have something to do with it," Ember guessed, "I wouldn't doubt he might think of us as different. Other. After all, we're ghosts, we've died once already. Most people- even some of us- have come to the idea we can't die again..."

"...but that's not true," Dani finished, "is it?"

"No. We can die... Well, be destroyed. It's... a long story. We don't just... pop up, after our bodies die. If you're a ghost like me- a ghost that was human- it means you had something. Something to live for that you can't let go of yet, some piece of... unfinished business. We can't leave until we've handled that. But coming back... Well. How much do you know about how we actually work, Danielle?"

"...Not much," Dani admitted, "Not... pure-ghosts, at least. I know a bit about me, and Danny, and "Vlad..."

Ember nodded, "Well... each of us, our souls are in a clump at the center of us. A core. Kind of like a nucleus. When a ghost is destroyed, the bonds between the ectoplasm's destroyed. Nothing to hold it together. But it's still there- part of it, in each bit. The thing is, it can't pull together... We need a feral ghost. Bit by bit. Our soul is conscious- every piece. But incomplete- we can't really be aware of the rest. But they latch. And you start to get thoughts again, complete thoughts- and the pieces are drawn together. And they merge into the feral, overriding it. Making you a new body."

Dani winced.

"Ouch. You done that yourself, or...?"

Ember shook her head. "Came close, but, I got out. Had a three month cold, but I was fine."

Dani nodded, "So how do you know?"

"I have a friend who went through it. Never fully recovered. We thought we had something but... all he wanted was a trophy wife."

"...He loved the concept but not the reality, huh?" Dani replied... "Sounds like Vlad and parenting. Always talking about how he'd have his perfect son when he was surrounded by kids- and probably the worst parent I'd ever seen... and then he tried to kill me."

"Oy. Fathers," Ember tutted, before sighing... 11:00. They had time.. and this would be one way to avoid the heavy stuff for a while.

"...You said tonight was your first time at a concert?"

Danielle nodded.

"Ever been to a movie, kid?"

"...No. Why? I mean, aren't those not normally on this late?"

"Normally. But I'm going, if I may, to take you on a strange journey... This is far from an ordinary night already, but... There's always room for a little more strangeness."

She gave a cat's grin to the girl.

Dani laughed, "Well, with a pitch like that, how can I refuse?"

How exciting! First her first concert, and now her first movie... Dani was filled with antici-

-pation.

_In the velvet darkness_

_Of the blackest night_

_Burning bright_

_There's a guiding star_

_No matter what or who you are_

_There's a light, over at the Frankenstein place..._

Dani yawned, standing up... Well. It wasn't all a dream. She headed to the hotel bathroom, and took a look in the mirror, straightening her hair a bit... A red lipstick V was on her forehead- a reminder of the movie last night. What a movie, what a crowd, what a night. Yelling all the way throughout, and there was still a smell of toast on her clothes. She looked to the other bed of the suite, where Ember was sharing a bed with her guitar, evidently more knocked-out than Dani. She closed the door to shower, contemplating the events of the night before- namely, how quickly and how much she'd opened up to Ember. That wasn't right. Something was wrong here, and she had to figure it out. She liked her- at least she thought she did- but something was up with her. Dani plopped on the room's chair, leaning back... It started with the _music_. She got sloppy. Snuck in. She approached the bed, easing the covers down to get a better look at the guitar... It looked pretty standard, but by the volume knob there was another- with icons all around it. A note, a spiral, a flame, a heart, and a skull. She touched the knob, turning it to the heart... and Ember shifted in bed, stirring and brushing it against the strings. Nothing audible, but Dani saw now, a pink energy emanate from the guitar... No amplification and no volume this time. But the feeling it gave her was definitely the same- so something about that did it, huh? She wondered if Ember even really thought about it. She did seem to be generally a good person. Speaking of the rocker, she sat up about then...

"...you have a bad dream or something, kid?"

Dani laughed softly, "No, just waking you up. It's a couple hours to noon."

Ember stood, stretching. "Right. That means tee-minus nine hours to show tonight."

"Heh. How much longer are you here?" Dani asked.

"Just the weekend. After tonight it's on to the next tour spot."

She ruffled Dani's hair.

"I think you're going to like the band life, Dani."

Dani returned a grin, but she was still just a bit suspicious- and guilty for feeling it. This would be a very interesting day...


End file.
